Navigation Links
Studies reveal how plague disables immune system, and how to exploit the process to make a vaccine

Two studies by researchers at the University of Chicago show how the bacteria that cause the plague manage to outsmart the immune system and how, by slightly altering one of the microbe's tools, the researchers produced what may be the first safe and effective vaccine.

Both papers -- one published online July 28 in Science Express and one in the August issue of Infection and Immunity -- focus on aspects of the type-III pathway, a molecular syringe that Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that may have killed more people throughout history than any other infectious disease, uses to disable its host's immune system.

"Yersinia pestis is the nastiest thing alive," said study author Olaf Schneewind, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chairman of microbiology at the University of Chicago and director of the Great Lakes Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (GLRCE). "It's the most virulent bacterial organism known to mankind. But we now know a little more about how it exercises those powers and we think we can use that knowledge to prepare a preemptive strike."

Historically, the terms "plague" or "Black Death" have referred to the bubonic plague, caused by Yersinia pestis and spread by the bites of infected fleas, which acquire the germ from infected rodents. In the mid-14th century, the plague swept through Europe killing nearly one-third of the population. It returned with a slightly reduced death count about once a generation for centuries.

Although far less common now, the plague has not entirely gone away. There are fewer than 2,000 cases a year worldwide, including 10 to 20 each year in the western United States. One out of seven persons infected dies, even with aggressive treatment.

Since 2001, however, many people have worried that terrorists could exploit Y. pestis as a weapon, spreading it widely and rapidly as an aerosol rather than through fleabites and rodents. Contracted this way -- inf
'"/>

Source:University of Chicago Medical Center


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related biology news :

1. Studies reveal methods viruses use to sidestep immune system
2. Studies clarify risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis C virus
3. Studies on human genome variation provide insight into disease
4. Studies suggest new brain protein may help in treating schizophrenia, insomnia and anxiety
5. Studies find general mechanism of cellular aging
6. Studies look at how genes affect antipsychotic drug response
7. Studies yield insight into the numerical brain
8. Studies force new view on biology of flavonoids
9. Elusive HIV shape change revealed; Key clue to how virus infects cells
10. Timing is everything: First step in protein building revealed
11. Researchers reveal the infectious impact of salmon farms on wild salmon

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/24/2009)... has long held secrets of the earth,s history lock...s been very little information on the environments...llions of years. Now, a team of researchers from n...to the tune of $10 million dollars by the National...of things literally. These scientists will drill ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...munity-associated strain of the deadly superbug MR...common antibioticsposes a far greater health threa... hospitals, according to a study in the December i...ew threat is easily picked up in fitness centers, ... the overall burden of MRSA within hospitals, the ...
(Date:11/23/2009)...esearch suggests that a common oral bacterium may ... by Nichols et al, "Unique Lipids from a Common Hu...s Capable of Enhancing Autoimmunity," appears in t... Pathology . , Multiple sclerosis (MS), a diseas...inal cord, affects nearly 1 in 700 people in the U...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):LSU gets to the bottom of things -- in Antarctica 2New study finds MRSA on the rise in hospital outpatients 2Factors from common human bacteria may trigger multiple sclerosis 2Phthalic symbol 8923 1VA Reopening Health Care Enrollment to Thousands of Veterans 49475 1VA Reopening Health Care Enrollment to Thousands of Veterans 49475 2Greenway Medical Technologies To Display Live Interoperability Implementations at 2009 DIA Show 12709 1Greenway Medical Technologies To Display Live Interoperability Implementations at 2009 DIA Show 12709 2Greenway Medical Technologies To Display Live Interoperability Implementations at 2009 DIA Show 12709 3
...searchers found that a medication often used to re...ne loss and helped tumors grow in bone. So the res...ne in St. Louis are recommending increased awarene... medication studied is a growth factor commonly us...ounts after chemotherapy, which can destroy white ...
...ry syndrome (SARS) epidemic in China has lessons t...other respiratory diseases, according to new resea...fectious Diseases, currently available online. , H...uangzhou province and Hong Kong in 2003. In hospit...ers looked at environmental and administrative fac...
...plicates its DNA, the resulting single strand is w...yotes or organisms whose cells have a nucleus, thi...plication protein A (RPA). Researchers at the Salk...ed a novel RPA-like complex that specifically home...f yeast chromosomes. , Their findings, reported in...
Other Biology News:Researchers urge monitoring of bone health during chemotherapy 2Researchers urge monitoring of bone health during chemotherapy 3Study identifies risk factors for spread of respiratory infections in hospitals 2DNA ends: Common tool, different job 2
(Date:11/25/2009)...ewswire/--BiotechfirmReplikinsLtd.,whichhasanalyze...htheprediction,outbreak,andprogressofthecurrentH1N...fthevirus.ThenewdatashowsthatthelethalityoftheH1N1...5)duringthevirus,scurrentoutbreakinthespringof2009...TheH1N1virus,infectivitycount,however,remainsincre...
(Date:11/25/2009)...Newswire/--Reportlinker.comannouncesthatanewmarket...azilBioethanolMarketAnalysisandForecaststo2013 ,...ioethanol-Market-Analysis-and-Forecasts-to-2013.ht...tsto2013 ,, Summary ,, Thereportprovidesde...ketandtheBrazilbioethanolmarketinparticular.Italso...
(Date:11/24/2009)... The New York investment bank KTA Capital,s client...n AU$6.7 mil convertible note private placement wi...ement was arranged by KTA Capital as Neuren,s excl... New York (PRWEB) November 23, 2009 -- ...al, LLC ("KTA Capital") has announced th...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Health care employment grew by 29,000 jobs in O... consistent growth during the U.S. recession. Howe...uble, and health systems are coming closer to havi...ust administrators. , (Vo...ontinued growing in October despite the shedding o...
Breaking Biology Technology:Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 2Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 3Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 4Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 2Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 3Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 4Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 5Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 6Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 7Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 8Reportlinker Adds Brazil Bioethanol Market Analysis and Forecasts to 2013 9KTA Capital Arranges an AU$6.7 Million Private Placement by Neuren Pharmaceuticals 2The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 2The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 3The MedZilla Report for October 2009 - Health Care Employment Grows Again in October Even As Clinics, Specialty Centers Close 4
...f Financial Executives International , a 15,000-p...mics, and audit committee members, has announced t...ommunity influence. , ,The group offers an opportu...bout the ethics, highest standards, and best pract... the business dynamics of the Madison area are dif...
...Investor Day program scheduled for Sept. 19, Fise...The Brookfield-based global provider of informatio...onger earnings for the second quarter of 2006, and...e in total revenues during the first half of the y...creased 10 percent to $1.09 billion, compared to $...
...lassified contract from the defense sector, Plexu...red here, reported record revenues and earnings fo...pite the closing of its manufacturing facility in ...pered, however, by forecasts of lower-than-expecte... stock price to fall by roughly one-third. , ,Reve...
Other Biology Technology:Fiserv reports stronger earnings and revenues 2Fiserv reports stronger earnings and revenues 3Defense contract helps Plexus gain record profits 2
Printer Paper for Model 680 Series Readers, 2 rolls from Bio-Rad
... used for vertical electrophoresis applications. T...uires 1.2 L of running buffer. It includes the PRO...n kit, which contains accessories for use with 2.0...2 sets of 20 x 20 cm glass plates, 4 IPG spacers, ...
PROTEAN II XL Cell, wide format from Bio-Rad
StemSep Rat T Cells, 2 mL from StemCell Technologies, Inc.
Biology Products: